If Marukyan continues to misplace his role, he will end up in the shoes of Ashotyan: Nikol Pashinyan

It is now impossible to speak the language of blackmail with the authorities of Armenia. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this today, January 25, at a press conference in Kapan, responding to a question about the heated discussions in Parliament regarding the purchase of "KamAZ" vehicles by the Yerevan City Hall. It should be mentioned that this relates to the establishment of a commission to clarify the circumstances of the acquisition of the equipment.

Commenting on the criticism from the leader of the "Enlightened Armenia" party, Edmon Marukyan, regarding the creation of a commission, which he argues falls within the jurisdiction of the City Hall based on Armenian legislation, the Prime Minister said: "In Armenia, as in any other democratic country, the foundation of governance is the distribution of power. They say Marutyan bought the 'KamAZs'. Maybe Marutyan bought these 'KamAZs' for his grandfather? They serve the city."

Pashinyan stated that he has sent inquiries to embassies and clarified that such practices exist in democratic countries. At the same time, the Prime Minister agrees that the issue needs regulation: "The Prosecutor's Office has also investigated and found that there are no legal violations here, but this should be regulated."

"I regret that Marukyan cannot differentiate. When we say 'it has remained in the past,' we mean that Marukyan fails to understand that Hayk Marutyan is not Taron Margaryan, and I am not Serzh Sargsyan. Apparently, Lena Nazaryan has this in mind. One cannot speak in this manner with a government that has received the trust of the people," declared Nikol Pashinyan.

Responding to Marukyan's statement that the authorities are losing the vote of confidence, Pashinyan advised his opposition colleagues to talk about pears and apples rather than assessing political trust: "Who assesses whether we are losing our political rating or not? If Marukyan continues to misplace his role, he will find himself in the shoes of Ashotyan. The choice is his. We have no problem with that. He cannot evaluate whether we are losing our political rating or not. This is determined by the people. He does not have the right to do that; he simply does not have it."

“Stop abusing our modesty. This is not 2016 or 2017, when it was possible to negotiate with the authorities through trade-blackmail formula. Those people are busy with self-destruction. Let them not worry about our political rating,” Pashinyan stated.

When asked to clarify what he meant by "Ashotyan's role," Pashinyan replied: "the creative aspect."